Mine-car.



No. 734,958. PATENTED JULY 28, 1903.V

W. Hf.l B20-AGH.

MINE. GAR.. APPLICATION.' T1msn. JAR.. 1s., isos.

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W. H. ROACH.

THE nanars MINE GAR APPLICATION FILED JAN. 16, 1903.

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Patented July 28, 1903.

UNETED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

WILLIAM HENRY ROACH, OF GILLIAM, IVEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OIF ONE- FOURTII TO JOEL T. ADAMS, OF GRAHAM, VIRGINIA.

MINE-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 734,958, dated July 28, 1903.

Application tiled January 16, 1903. Serial No. 139,302. (No model.)

To all whom t r11/tty concern:

Be it known that LWILLIAM HENRY ROAGH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Gilliam, in the county of McDowell and State of IVest Virginia, have invented a new and useful Mine-Oar, of which the followingisa specification.

My invention relates to mine-cars; and it consists in improved brake mechanism espe- 1o cially adapted for use upon mine-cars and other cars operated upon heavy grades.

The object of myinvention is to provide an adjustable brake mechanism which when adjusted in one position will be automatically I5 actuated to apply the brakes by the striking of the buffers at the forward end of the car against any obstruction, which in any other position will cause the striking of the buers against an obstacle to have no effect upon zo the brake mechanism, and which may when desired be operated by hand to apply the brakes.

In describing my invention reference will be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side view showing a car provided with my invention and a portion of the track provided with means for tripping the automatic latch for the swinging end-gate of the car. Fig. 2 is a View from below of a car provided with my invention, with parts broken away to show some of the connections.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section along the line 3 3 in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section through the mine-ear midway between its ends. Fig. 5 is a detail View in plan of the brake-setting cam and means for rotating the same, various positions of the parts being indicated by dotted lines. Fig. 6 is a detail view in perspective ofthe cam 50. Fig.

7 is a detail view looking longitudinally of the car and showing, on an enlarged scale, the parts of the brake-operating mechanism shown in Fig. 4,. Fig. 8 is a detail view in plan of the ratchet 65 and pawl 66.

In all the gures above mentioned corresponding parts are indicated by the same characters of reference throughout.

Referring to the drawings by reference 5o characters, I will first describe my automatic latch for the end-gate.

l represents the bottom of the car, 2 and 3 its side walls, and 4 the end-gate, supported on pivots at 5 and 6.

7 represents the latch plate having up- 5; turned ends 8 and 9, which engage with the swinging end-gate of the car.

1() is au extension of the latch-plate oppositely disposed from the upturned ends 8 and 9. The latch-plate is rigidly mounted upon 6o the rod 11, rotatably mounted in bearings 12 and 13 beneath the bottom of the ear. The rod 11 is grooved at 14 and engages at that point with a forked member 15, secured to the bottom of the car, which serves to prevent the rod 11 from sliding out of engagement with its bearings. The rofl 11 is bent at 16 and at 17 to form an elbow adapted to engage with a bowed member 18, secured to the track at the point where the contents of 7o the car are to be dumped. Passing through the extension 10 is a bolt 19, whosehead 2O serves as a stop to limit the movement of said extension 10 away from the bottom of the car, and surrounding the bolt 19 is a 75 coiled spring 2l, which tends to force the eX- tension 10 against the head 2O of the bolt 19, and so keeps the latch-plate in operative position.

It will be seen on an inspection of Fig. 1 8c that when the elbow 17 strikes the tripping` member 18, secured to the track, the rod l1 will be rotated against the action ofthe spring 2l as the elbow 17 rides upward over the bowed member 18 and the ends 8 and 9 of the 85 latch-plate will be drawn downward out of operative engagement with the swinging endgate, so permitting the end-gate to swing outward and discharge the contents of the car.

The drawfbar 25 rests on the bottom of the 9o car and is secured in position by means ot bolts 26 passing through slots 27 near the ends and by means of the plate 28, which is bowed longitudinally to aiord a guideway for the draw-bar, and is held in position by means of a bolt 29, which passes through the plate 28 through a slot 30 in the draw-bar and is prolonged beneath the bottom of the car to form a pivot on which the brake-operating cam rotates. At either end the drawroo bar, which is preferably formed of wrought iron or steel, is bent back upon itself at 31, then downward at 32, and finally backward again at 33. The portion 34 between the bends 32 and 33 forms an abutment for a spring 35 at either end, which is secured to the car. Each end portion of the draw-bar beyond the bend 33is provided with a slot 36, corresponding in position to the slot 27 in the portion of the draw-bar lying above the bottom of the car, and consequently transmitting the bolts 26, which are provided with nuts 38.

It Willbe plainly seen that a draw-harcoustruc'ted in the manner described will yield to jars from the sudden starting or stopping of the train of which the car forms a part and so reduce the injurious effects of such shocks upon the car.

The brake mechanism consists of brake members 40,provided with curved surfaces 41, adapted to engage with the peripheries of the wheels of the car and mounted upon a brake- 'bar 42, which extends transversely across the bottom of the car about midway of its length. The brake-bar is provided with openings 43, through which pass bolts 44, which serve as guides for the brake-bar in its movement up and down as the brake members are released or applied to the wheels. Passing through an opening in the center of the brake-bar is a bolt 29, already referred to, and surrounding this bolt 29 is a coiled spring 46, one end of which is in contact with the brake-bar 42 and the other lies against a frame 47, having the four arms 48, which are secured to the bottom of the car in any convenient manner. Rotatably mounted on the bolt 29 between the brake-bar 42 and a strap 49, extending across the bottom of the car, is the cam 50, having the inclined surfaces 5l, which cooperate with similar but reverselyplaced inclines 52 on the upper surface of the brake-bar 42. At one side the cam is provided with a lug 53, which engages with a recess 54, formed in the end of a pivoted lever 55, secured by means of a bolt 56 to the bottom of the car. One of the side walls 57 of the recess 54 is considerably longer than the opposite wall and is rounded at the end to form a suitable bearing-surface for en gagement with the side of the lug 53.

Secured to the end of the pivoted lever which is farthest from the brake-bar is a link 58, which is connected at one end with a lever 59, pivotally secured at 60 to the bottom of the car and connected at its other end with a link 6l, which is pivotally connected at its other end with an arm 62, rigidly secured to a vertical shaft 63, which carries a hand-wheel 64 of the ordinary type used for setting hand-operated brakes. The shaft 63 is provided near its lower end with a ratchet 65, having three notches a, b, and c, with one of which a spring-pressed pawl 66 is normally in engagement. Diametrically opposite the lug 53 is a similar lug 67, to which is pivotally connected a connecting-rod 68, pivotally connected at its other end with a yoke 69. The yoke 69 is pivotally connected at either end to a rod 70, slidably mounted in a block 7l, secured to the bottom of the car. Each of the rods 70 carries at its outer end a buffer-plate 72, which is bent over at 73 and 74, so as to form additionalguides for the rods 70. Between the bent-over portions 73 and the blocks 7l are provided wear-plates 76 to protect the blocks 7l from injury from the buffer-plates. Similar wear-plates 77 are provided on the upper surface of the ends of the bottom of the car to protect the car-bottom from injury from the bent-over portions 74 of the buer-plates. Coiled around the outer portion of each rod 70 and lying between the buer-plates 72 and the end of the bottom of the car is a spring 78. Each of these springs 78 is to be made of heavy material adapted to withstand blows of considerable force and strong enough to force the buffers outward to their normal position after the springs have been compressed in any wise.

The operation of the brake mechanism is as follows: Let it be assumed that the car is attached to an engine moving downgrade and that it is desired to have the brake in contact with the wheels of the car in order to relieve the engine of all unnecessary load and to have the brake mechanism so arranged that when the car passes from a down to an up grade the brakes shall be automatically released. To accomplish these ends, the pawl 66 is released from an engagement with the -ratchet 65, if necessary, and the brake-wheel 64 is turned until the notch t upon the ratchet is in position to be engaged by the pawl. The cam 50 will then be in the position indicated in solid lines in Fig. 5. lf'

pressure is now applied to the yielding buffers 12, motion will be imparted, through the rods 70, the yoke 69, and the connecting-rod 68, to the cam 50 in the direction indicated by the arrow x. will cause the brake-bar 42 to be forced downward against the pressure of the spring 46 and will cause the application of the brake members 40 to the wheels of the car; but as soon as pressure is removed from the buffers 72 they will be forced outward again by the springs 78, the motion of the cam will be reversed, and the brakes willbe released. Now whenever the car is moving downgrade it will tend to jam against the engine or car in front and force the yielding buifers back against the action of the springs, so applying the brake; but as soon as the car strikes an upgrade the tendency to jam against the car in front will cease to exist and the buffers will be thrown forward by the springs and the brakes released.

If it is desired to have the brakes so adjusted that the car may be freely moved about on up or down grades without applying the brakes, the pawl 66 is to be released from notch a in the ratchet and the brake-wheel 64 rotated until the ratchet is in position for the pawl to engage with the notch b, when the parts of the adjusting mechanism will be in the position indicated in dotted lines iu Fig. 5. The yielding of the buers 72 under IOS This movement of the cam IIO any pressure applied to them will merely cause the cam 50 to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow y, and the brakes will be lifted still farther from the wheels by the action of the spring 46 upon the brake-bar 42.

If when the adjusting mechanism is in the position indicated by solid lines, as best shown in Fig. 2, and the pawl 66 is in engagement with the notch a in the ratchet 65 the car should accidentally become detached from its engine or motor, there would no longer be any pressure at the forward end of the car against the yielding buffers to apply the brakes, and to prevent the car from running away in the event of suoli an occurrence I have provided the long end 57, forming one side of the recess 54. lVhen the'brake-wheel G4 is rotated as far as possible in the direction indicated by the arrow e', the end 57 engages with the lug 53 and forces it far enough in the direction indicated by the arrow x to apply the brakes. Thus it will appear that the mechanism which operates merely to adjust the position of the cam 50 may in an emergency be made to serve as a brake-applying mechanism, and when so used the brakes may be locked in position by throwing the pawl 66 into the notch c in the ratchet 65.

Having now fully described and shown my invention, what I regard as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a car, the combination of a brake-bar, brake members mounted on said bar, a rotary cam-plate in engagement with said brake-bar and adapted to force said brake members into and out of operative position, a yielding bnffer, and connections between said yielding buffer and the cam-plate whereby the yielding of the buffer rotates said cam-plate to apply the brake member, substantially as described.

2. In a car, the combination of a brake-bar, brake members on said bar, inclined surfaces on said bar, a rotary cam-plate having correspondingly -inclined surfaces in engagement with the inclines on the bar, a yielding buffer, and connections between said yielding buffer and cam-plate whereby the yielding of the buffer rotates the cam-plate and applies the brake members, substantially as described.

3. In a car, the combination of a brake-bar, brake members mounted thereon, a cam for operating said brake-bar, a yielding buer, connections between said cam and said buffer whereby the yielding of the buier operates said cam, and means for adjusting the position of the cam so that when the cam is in one position the yielding of the buffer causes the application of the brakes and when the cam'is in another position the yielding of the buifer is without eect upon the brakes, substantially as described.

4. In a car, the combination of a brake-bar, brake members mounted thereon, a rotary cam-plate adapted to force said brake-bar into operative position, adjusting devices for said cam-plate whereby when said adjusting devices are in one position the yielding of the buffer serves to apply the brakes and when said adjusting devices are in the other position the yielding of the buffer is without effect upon the brakes, substantially as described.

5. In a car, the combination of abrake-bar, brake members carried by said bar, a yielding buer, connections between the yielding buffer and brake-bar, said connections comprising a rotary cam-plate, means for adjusting the position of said cam-plate so that in one position of the cam-plate the yielding of the buffer causes the rotation of the camplate in a direction such as to apply the brakes and in another position the yielding of the buffer causes the cam-plate to rotate in such direction that it has no eifect upon the brakes, substantially as described.

6. In a car, the combination of abrake-bar, brake members supported on said brake-bar, a rotary cam adapted to vapply said brake members when rotated in one direction and to release said members when rotated in the opposite direction, yielding buffers, connections between said buers and said cam-plate whereby the yielding of the buffers causes the rotation of the cam, and means for adjusting the position of the said cam so that the yielding of the buffers will cause rotation of the cam in either direction as desired, all substantially as described.

7. In a car, a brake-bar, brake members supported on said brake-bar, a cam-plate, a lug on said cam, a pivoted lever having a recessed end adapted to engage with said lug, a brake-wheel and means connected therewith whereby said lever is operated to shift the position of the cam-plate, yielding buffers, and connections between said buffers and the cam-plate whereby when the pivoted lever is in one position the yielding of the buffer rotates the cam in one direction and when the pivoted lever is in another position the yielding of the buffers rotates the cam in the opposite direction, substantially as described.

8. In a car, a brake-bar, brake members carried by said bar, a cam-plate, a lug on said cam-plate, a pivoted lever having a recessed end in which said lug fits loosely, one side wall of said recess being longer than theother and adapted when the lever is swung to the limit of its movement in one direction to apply the brakes, and means comprising a hand brake-wheel and suitable connections whereby the lever is operated, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM HENRY ROACH.

Witnesses:

P. H. JACKSON, P. H. RITTER.

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